PREVIEW: Oregon State's Midweek Matchup With Portland

Tonight, Mitch Canham's three-time national champions welcome the Portland Pilots to Goss Stadium.

Oregon State fans cheer on Dax Whitney as he exits the field during an NCAA college baseball game at Goss Stadium on Friday, March 6, 2026, in Corvallis, Ore. | Kevin Neri/Statesman Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This piece is a short primer on Oregon State's crucially important baseball game tonight against the University of Portland.

Who will start on the mound?

True freshman Trey Morris - a reliable weekday starter - earned promotion to pitching coach Rich Dorman's weekend rotation following Dax Whitney's UCL injury. In his stead, the Beavers are expected to lean on 6'0" junior righty Connor Mendez.

Mendez transferred to Oregon State last summer from nearby Linn Benton Community College, a juco program managed by former Beaver player & coach Andy Peterson.

At Linn Benton, Mendez pitched 78 innings across 12 games, with a white hot 0.69 earned run average. This season in Corvallis has been a much tougher challenge: across 19 and 2/3 innings, the junior has allowed 22 hits, 10 walks, 4 homers, and 20 earned runs. If he starts tonight, it will be his third meeting with Portland. On March 17th, Mendez threw 3 and 1/3 innings against the Pilots in an upset loss. A week ago, he faced Portland for 4 innings in a 6-4 win.

What is at stake?

Because the Beavers are independent this season, their only path onto the field of 64 is through an at-large berth, so every win matters. Oregon State have placed in top 25 rankings most of this season, so they aren't at risk of bubbling out of postseason play, but tough losses to Portland, UTRGV, and other mid-majors hurt their postseason resume, making it tougher to justify Oregon State earning a top 8 Super Regional host seed.

Every victory inches Oregon State closer to hosting a regional, and potentially a Super Regional, providing crucial homefield advantage for their run back to Omaha.

How can fans watch?

Rich Burk and Bill Rowe will be on the mic for Portland's CW, KOIN+, and Pac-12 Insider. The KOIN+ app can be downloaded onto smart TV devices like Roku, FireTV, Samsung, and AppleTV. The game will also air over the radio, with longtime Oregon State announcer Mike Parker providing play-by-play for statewide affiliates of the Beavers Sports Network. In the Portland area, the game can be heard on News Radio 1190 KEX (KEX-AM).